A collection of thoughts, musings and opinions at the intersection of economics, politics and culture...

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

More Fear And Loathing In New Jersey

So--whatcha doin' next Tuesday? As the campaign trail has unfurled before us, we have seen an unforgiving landscape of potholes, twisted guardrails, unkempt weeds, and week-old fast food detritus. But let's face it--we live in a representative democracy. This election is our mirror, folks, and we've let it get this way.

Tell me, as you read this, has your hedge fund manager called to tell you that your multi-thousand-dollar investment is now your multi-million-dollar investment? Has your local police chief called you to not to worry about that speeding ticket you got last week?

Here's something scary--I've got nothing to pick on Daggett about. I don't know if that's good or bad, actually.

In delis, in diners, in bars, the talk has been the same these past few months: ABTE--Anything But The Election. For something that's going to affect all of us for at least the next four years, it's almost like we couldn't give a damn--and maybe we'd couldn't.

Have we reached that critical point in our society where apathy has become the accepted norm? Government has already proven that it doesn't understand the concept of vox populi, vox Dei, at least on an intermittent basis. Is it our fervent hope that government can join the white noise, the incessant hum of commerce that forms the backdrop of so many of our lives? Do we not care about what happens to us?

From the absence of clamor, one thing is apparent--this election isn't so much about electing someone as it is about making sure somebody else isn't the person in the driver's seat. But when you stand in that booth on Tuesday, ask yourself one question: